Ateneo - UPO

Language, orality, and writing: the voice as a tool for knowledge and self-awareness

1) F. Albano Leoni, Voce. Il corpo del linguaggio, Roma, Carocci, 2022 (ALL); 2) D. Crepaldi, Neuropsicologia della lettura, Roma, Carocci, 2020 (ALL); 3) F. Ronzon, Il rumore del mondo. Società, etnografia e paesaggi sonori, Verona, Quiedit, 2010. 4) C. Severi, Il percorso e la voce. Un’antropologia della memoria, Torino, Einaudi, 2004 (all, in part.: cap. III, pp. 185-239).

The primary objective of the course is to
provide students with the key linguistic, sociolinguistic, and ethnopragmatic concepts they need to correctly analyze language in all its diaphasic and diamesic aspects (orality, aurality, literacy, etc.), both in examples provided in class and during the final exam; a second, more advanced objective is to enable them to apply metalinguistic concepts and to independently
develop the concepts and methodologies learned to engage in linguistic reasoning based on theoretical and empirical data related to the performative component of languages and the mythical-ritual aspects of the voice; a third objective is to
prepare them for teaching applied linguistics. The 6 CFU are divided as follows: lecture-based instruction 3, interactive instruction 1, self-directed learning 2.

Given the monographic, seminar-based, and advanced nature of the course, attendance is highly recommended. Students who do not attend at least two-thirds of the lectures must agree on a specific program with the instructor at least three months before the chosen exam session. Students who have not taken the General Linguistics A and B exams or the Integrated Elements of Linguistics exam during the three-year period are required to agree on the program and exam procedures with the instructor at least three months in advance. In any case, the exam will also include R. SIMONE, Nuovi fondamenti di linguistica. Seconda edizione, Milano, McGraw-Hill, 2024 (ALL); This program is valid until the February 2028 exam session, after which all students are required to request a new, updated program from the instructor.

Lectures and online learning (DIR); however, the material available in DIR is intended solely as a supplement and does NOT in any way replace the texts listed in the course bibliography. Throughout the course, participants are expected to be actively engaged through the analysis and discussion of linguistic and ethnological data, including through short essays and written or oral presentations that will contribute to the final grade. The aim is to develop each student’s ability to analyze diachronic and synchronic material, to assimilate teaching methodologies in applied linguistics, and to acquire specific and appropriate communicative and metalinguistic skills.

Students with disabilities, Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD), or Special Educational Needs (SEN) can request dedicated services and tools by contacting the Career Development and Coordination and Student Services Staff and by visiting the dedicated page on the University website: https://uniupo.it/it/servizi/servizi-studentidisabilied-dsa. Students with disabilities, SLD, or SEN, after contacting the University Staff, must contact the instructor in charge of the course to arrange the exam procedures at least 20 days before the exam; some of these procedures must be approved by the instructor in advance.

Oral exam lasting approximately 30–40 minutes. The exam is considered passed if the grade is 18/30 or higher. The overall grade will be based on the evaluation of the appropriate use of specific metalanguage (33%) and the accuracy and appropriateness of responses to questions on the texts indicated in the syllabus and in class (33%): 66% basic level; and on the activities completed (including oral and written reports and essays prepared and presented during the course) during class (34%): advanced level (66 + 34: 100%). Honors will be awarded based on the evaluation of in-depth analysis and independent development skills in both the written assignment and the oral exam. Pursuant to Article 35 of the University Academic Regulations, students may take the same exam no more than three times during an academic year; students may withdraw during the exam and may refuse a passing grade they do not wish to accept at the end of the exam; a grade accepted immediately cannot be changed.

The course will focus on analyzing the main characteristics of the voice as an intrinsic and inseparable element of language and its coevolution, from both a pragmatico-linguistic and a sociocultural and historical-cognitive perspective. After identifying its animal and human origins and the basic functions related to the use of the phonoacoustic apparatus and its biological coevolution, the course will address the perception and classification of the voice, its use as a working tool and as a cultural asset, and the relationships between the voice and historical-natural languages, between the voice and writing, and between the voice and the neurolinguistics of reading (graph-phonetic systems of languages and the history of alphabets, reading aloud, dyslexia, etc.), as well as the relationships between the voice and the human, animal, and natural soundscapes. Finally, an examination of the ethnolinguistic and ethnopragmatic characteristics of the ritual voice will highlight certain metalinguistic and cognitive peculiarities of the voice embodied in a traditional singer, linking them to the development of consciousness and self-awareness, and to the inner voices.

The stated objective is to achieve a level of proficiency that will enable students to successfully complete the program of study (basic level) and to apply their knowledge in professional settings wherever in-depth and advanced knowledge of general and applied linguistics is required (advanced level). KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING: Be able to explain the theoretical foundations of linguistic and ethnopragmatic analysis presented in the course using the appropriate specific metalanguage (basic level); be able to understand the linguistic differences between various types of performative agency and texts produced in speech acts (advanced level). • ABILITY TO APPLY KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING: Be able to structure a linguistic analysis of texts, including those never previously analyzed; identify, articulate, and evaluate at least three of their main pragmatic, diamesic, and diaphasic characteristics (contextual features and their textual implications, the type of linguistic register chosen, focalization mechanisms, discourse markers, interruptions, overlaps, dialogic repetitions; assess the degree of engagement, symmetry, or asymmetry between interlocutors; and natural aspects, self-reference, and the identity of the current speaker, etc.) (basic level); provide examples of at least two of the types of written and oral texts covered during the course (advanced level). • INDEPENDENT JUDGMENT: Be able to identify the main linguistic phenomena at work in the examples provided (basic level) and propose one’s own examples appropriately and independently (advanced level). • COMMUNICATIVE SKILLS: Be able to express one’s knowledge by using specific metalinguistic terminology with awareness and fluency (basic level). • LEARNING SKILLS: Be able to explore the topics presented in depth and develop the ability to critically analyze the theoretical and practical references presented during the course (basic level) and their practical application in a personal paper, which may also be prepared with the aid of audiovisual and digital materials (advanced level).